N.J. students meet first African-American space walker at NJIT

Amanda Brown/The Star-LedgerBernard Harris, a veteran of two space shuttle missions, (center rear) watches as campers see how many pennies they can get on a sheet of aluminum foil floating in water during the ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp at NJIT in Newark.

NEWARK — When middle school students gathered at New Jersey Institute of Technology today to meet first ever African-American space-walker, Dr. Bernard Harris Jr., they asked some very important questions about gravity, temperature, space travel and one more practical question.

"What is it like to go to the bathroom in space?" asked a camper.

Harris, apparently used to such questions, answered with scientific accuracy and a sense of humor. His detailed answer involved an intricate "airplane-like toilet" and a lot of suction.

Urban middle school students from New Jersey and New York are attending NJIT’s fourth year hosting ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp. On his second space shuttle flight, on Feb. 9, 1995, Harris became the first African-American to perform extra-vehicular activity, known as a space walk. Harris is the founder of the summer camp, part of the academic program of the Harris Foundation.

"When I go into a classroom, I see a lack of relevancy with how the children learn in school and how it relates to the real world," said Harris. "We show how science is relevant to everyday life. Learning is no longer a chore, it becomes natural, and if I can make it fun then that’s even better."

The camp is free to students who have been recommended by teachers based on skills in science, mathematics and leadership. In addition, students had to write a 200-word essay, take a written exam, and show their enthusiasm for science, math and engineering in an interview. More than 250 students applied to the camp.

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The 54 accepted students, including eight from Newark, live in NJIT dorms and participate in daily fun and educational science-based activities over a two-week period.

"My major focus is to show the kids that things made by man don’t just appear," said lead teacher Purvik Patel.

In the morning, campers learned about Archimedes’ principle and had to apply what they learned by building the most efficient raft possible out of two pieces of tin foil and four drinking straws. The students who placed the most pennies on their raft without it sinking won the competition.

Team Awesome won the competition after placing 173 pennies on their raft. The team was made up of Sharon Reitz, 12 of Kearny, Jonathan Butler, 12 of Teaneck, Benjamin Hsueh, 13, of Somerset ,and Natalie Thompson, 13 of Hillsborough.

The team then explained that they built the raft with the straws facing upwards, out of the water and used both pieces of foil on the bottom. Their teamwork and ingenuity helped them win the competition.

"I was so excited when I heard he was going to be here," said Butler about meeting Harris. "He told me he was a dreamer and that his dream was to go into space. That really inspired me because it shows you can do anything you put your mind to."

Like many students at the camp, Butler wants to be an astronaut.

"They can do anything they want," said Harris. "I want to enable them and empower them. They have to have a foundation in education and be willing to work hard and sacrifice whatever it takes."